McKenny ready for life away from Citytv

Jim McKenny says he's excited about the prospect of starting a new career.

Jim McKenny says he's excited about the prospect of starting a new career.

But there's little doubt, all things considered, he'd prefer to be sitting in front of a camera at Citytv, reading the sports scores and scheduling his next visit to a high school basketball or hockey game just as he has so often over the past 25 years.

``I'm not retired," he said with his ever-present tongue-in-cheek air. ``I'm just unemployed. This is a chance to do something completely different."

McKenny recently ended his run as a City sportscaster, beating the recent wave of layoffs by less than a month, when a Rogers Communications executive informed the former Maple Leafs defenceman that he was retiring. He said there are no hard feelings even though he realizes that at age 63 job prospects are slim, especially in this climate.

``That's just the way big companies do things," he said. ``I can't complain. They were very good to me."

But he is concerned about the state of the business, especially the local sports that were the bread and butter of City's tiny sports department. With McKenny gone, City's on-air sports staff consists of Kathryn Humphreys and Hugh Burrill.

You have to wonder how many times they'll be trekking to the nearest high school field for daily reports.

``It would be a shame to see local sports coverage get cut back, but I wonder if it isn't all doomed," said McKenny. ``It's expensive and you have to wonder how much longer they'll do it."

Though there's no indication City plans to reduce its amateur coverage, local sports coverage is in peril everywhere as stations continue slashing budgets. McKenny said losing that would be tragic.

``It gives kids the recognition they didn't get anywhere else on TV," said the veteran sportscaster, who estimates he put more than 10,000 school athletes on TV in his career. ``It was 100 times more fun and satisfying than covering the pros."

As for his future, McKenny said he has no idea what lies ahead. He jokes that he might even try sales again, which was where he began his post-hockey life in 1979 after appearing in 604 NHL games.

``I think I've learned a few things since then," he said. ``It would be nice to actually make a sale."

After establishing himself as ``a complete failure" in sales, McKenny started in radio and eventually moved to City.

He was never very polished. ``I've never watched myself," he said. ``If I had, I'd have quit years ago."

But he never took himself seriously and that endeared him to both viewers and co-workers. You always got the feeling that McKenny was a big kid just having a whole lot of fun.

"He keeps things light, which I suspect is the way he did when he played hockey," Humphreys said.

"No matter what was going on, he could make everybody laugh."

One reason for that, outside of the personality that drove Punch Imlach crazy during McKenny's early days with the Leafs, was the City culture.

``City was the best place to work in the world," he said. ``We all got spoiled there.

``It was a little dysfunctional at times, but that's why it was great. It was family."

LEAFS RISING: The new TV ratings system has produced huge audiences across the country, so hearing that Rogers Sportsnet, CBC and TSN are all reporting jumps of 50 to 62 per cent over last year's NHL numbers isn't surprising. But what is surprising is the fact Sportsnet says its audiences for Leafs games are up 110 per cent. Considering the team's performance, maybe there are more masochists out there than anyone expected.

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